scott



(No Model.) I r 0. fiGOTT & O. T.'SGHO EN.

GAB SPRING,

No. 251,739. I Patented Jan. 3,1882

IN VENTOR 6 UNITED STATES PATENT Oi mc n.

UHARLES SCOTT AND CHARLES T. SOHOEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PA.

CAR-SPRING SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 251,739,dated January 3, 1 882.

' Application filed March 17, 1881. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, CHARLES SCOTT and GHARLEs T. SGHOEN, citizens ofthe United States, residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the State ofPennsylvania, have jointly invented ccrtain new and useful Improvementsin Oar-Sprin gs and we do hereby declare the following to be afull,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being bad to theaccompanying drawing, forming part of this specification.

Our invention has for its object to produce spiral springs of suchconstruction that four of the same will be sufficient for thebolstersprings of a freight-car.

Heretofore in constructing spirals to form bolster-springs forfreight-cars it has been found necessary, owing to the constructionadopted,to make each spring consist ofa group or nest of such spirals;nor has it been found practicable until our invention to substitute forsuch group or nest a single spiral. To be practicable, a spring for thepurpose suggested musthave great bearin gcapacity and due range ofmotion, without too great stiffness, within the vertical limits wherethe spring is locatednamely, between the spring-plank and bolster.

Ithas heretofore been found necessary, as above intimated, to make suchsprin g, if spiral, to consist of a group or nest. We have discovered,however, that with a bar of certain proportions coiled on its edge on amandrel of regulated size we can produce a spiral of such constructionthat a single one will form a complete spring having a bearing capacityand range of motion equal to the group or nest heretofore employed,being at the same time softer or more easy in motion, requiringconsiderably less metal, and being much less liable to break age thansuch group or nest.

Our invention accordingly consists of a bearing or bolster spring madefrom a bar whose thickness is not greater than half its width, thediameter of the spring being equal to or greater than its height. Theconfiguration of the bar in cross section is not an essential feature ofour invention. Such bar may accordingly be of any configuration comingwithin the terms thatits thickness shall not be greater than half itswidth, or, what is the same thing, that it shall be at least twice aswide as it is thick. Hence the bar may be a rectangular oblong-that is,of even thickness throughout, with parallel sides and edges. It may alsohe ovaloid or ovaliform, having a greater thickness at its middle orbetween its edges than at either edge; and this form we prefer, though,as already stated, our invention is not limited to any particularconfiguration so long as the same comes within the relative proportionsassigned as to width and thickness, The length of the bar and themandrel on which it iscoiled must be such that when the spiral iscompleted its diameter will be greater than its height, the spiral thushaving a relatively greater diameter than any heretofore employedfor thepurpose for which-this is intended. One such spiral will produce acomplete bolster or bearing spring for afreight-car, four such spiralsbeing all that is required for a'freight-car. 7

From the foregoing it follows that the diameter of the spiral must havedue relation to the width of the bar, and that the width of the bar mustbe proportional to the mandrel-hole in the spring. For example, if thespiral he, say, eight inches in diameter, the bar should be, say, twoand three-eighths inches wide, and its thickness at its thickest partbe, say, one and oneeighth inch, the mandrel-hole being, say, three andone-quarter inches. The width of the bar is thus about thirty percent.of the diameter of the spiral and about three fourths of the'diameter ofthe mandrelhole. These or approximate proportions being preserved, itfollows that a single spiral of our improved construction will have thesame heightas one of a nest or group as heretofore constructed, whileits width, bearin g-surface, or area will be equal to the aggregate ofthe several spirals composing a group or nest. The relativeproportionsof 90 the height of such spiral to its diameter, and ofthewidth ofit-s bar to such diameter and to the diameter of thespring-hole, are thus wholly difl'erent from those of spirals in groupsor nests, and distinguish our spring very charac' teristicallytherefrom.

The figure shows a sectional view of a spring conformable to thedescription above set forth.

The advantages of this improvement are, first, a saving of metal, as asingle spiral ofcon- 10o struction described requires less metal thanthe group or nest heretofore employed; second,

greater softness 0r ease of action; third, very the mandrel-hole, thediameter of the spiral greatly reduced liability to breakage, as there.being equal to or greater than its height, subis "ery much less dangerof breaking a single stantially as shown and described.

spiral of a given capacity than there is of In testimony that we claimtheforegoiiigwe r5 5 breaking spirals composing a group or -nest havehereunto set our hands this 2d day of forming a spring of the samecapacity. February, 1881.

\/Vhat we claim as our invention is CHARLES SCOTT. A single-coil bearingor bolster spring 0011- CHARLES T. SOHOEN. sisting of a bar coiled onits edge, the width Witnesses: 10 of said bar being substantially twiceits tbick- JOHN RODGERS,

ness and about three-fourths the diameter of M. DANL. OONNOLLY.

